New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-26
POLITICAL PROSPECTS.

| just in time to illustrate and refute Mr.. Cur
| tis's latest declaration, comes the Statement OF
General Rosser, that protection has broken
the Solid South, and has rendered the election
of Democratic President virtually impossible
He does not speak as protectionist or as n
Republican, 1--WE were able to elect three
Free Trade Congressman from Minnesota last
fall he observes. but as to the Presidency
''we are already beaten. There is no pros
pcct at all that we can win in the next contest
Two or more Of our Southern States will surely
be Republican," This he attributes chiefly to
the growth of protective sentiment in the
Southern States There is no doubt, he says
of the growth of this sentiment Sin Virginia.
North Carolina. Tennessee and Alabama, and
perhaps in Georgia and Louisiana also. The
stimulation of manufacturing interests fosters
ard stimulates protective Doctrines
These views arc worthy the attention of those
Free Traders who have tried to make the coun-
try believe that it was all important to elect
a socalled reformcr, even though Free Trader
Their ideas do not gain ground in this State.
where workingmer are abandoning the Dem
ocratic party because they find it not helpful
to their interests. Indeed, General RoSscr
says: With the labor developments of the last
year it is easy to see that we cannot carry New
York. That. of course, defeats u.s. But gain
ing nothing here the Free Trade ideas are los
ing rapidly at the South and without Dem
ocratic success in that section Democratic
candidate would have no chance. If this Dem
ocratic observer is not mistaken. his party Is
indeed beaten already, and it may remember
that THE TRIBUNE gave it fair warning. when
the Morrison bill was under consideration, that
it could not afford to put itself on record in
favor of that measure.
But this is not the only Issue which is likely
10 contribute to Democratic defeat. The Inter
state Commerce bill was urged for years by "A
Democratic Congressman who has been re
warded by election to the Senate from Texas.
and it was supported for years mainly by Dem
ocratic members. Democratic President
signed it, with all its impcrfcctions, and has
selected aCommission under which its workings
are now being tried. The results thus far are
not popular. 1t is safe to say that they would
not help the party now in power, if an election
were held to-day, in any State Of the Union.
but least of all in the more sparsely settled
Southern States. A dispatch to a commercial
agency from Memphis n few days ago observed
that the enormous advance in rates to and
from country towns in that section had caused
manufacturing establishments generally TO close
because they could not ship except at a loss.
Similar results are natural wherever business
has been developed, as it has been throughout
the South, by especial rates favoring new enter
priscs. The law had for its chief object the
prohibiting of such special rates. If it is
strictly enforced, it will work serious harm and
produces strong popular opposition TO it, But
if IL is deprived of efficiency by the Presidents
appointees, friends of the law will charge all
evil consequences TO the Administration, and
not to the act itself